Orphan Black: Sci-fi thriller returns with a heart-thumping season two premiere

Orphan Black returned for its second series with a pacy and confident premiere that showcased the abilities of its star Tatiana Maslany.

Any fears of the series being a one-shot wonder are immediately dispelled by a heart-thumping opening. Using elements of both film noir and classic horror, we’re left with two dead bodies and a narrow escape for Sarah before the credits have even rolled.

Identical in appearance but not in personality

The tension continues to ratchet up throughout the episode, as we’re reminded of storylines carried over from series one, much of it driven by Sarah’s hunt for her missing daughter Kira.

We see how the three central characters react under duress. Sarah’s first instinct is to take decisive action, marching into a Dyad event to demand answers of Rachel. Cosima’s natural tendency is to research the respiratory illness which affects a number of clones, including herself. Alison looks to her suburban life as an anchor, compartmentalising all the weirdness by focussing on her (equally bizarre) amateur dramatics.

We also learn more about Rachel. She’s a cold customer who likes to feel in control but, when Sarah turns the tables on her, she freezes, unable to cope. Of all the clones, she and Sarah are the most diametrically opposed to one another. Rachel plans and controls, Sarah acts and improvises.

Me, myself and I

Of course, no Orphan Black episode is complete without showing off Maslany’s astonishing ability to differentiate between her multiple selves.

The confrontation between Sarah and Rachel is seamlessly executed and it requires an effort to remember we’re watching the same actress.

Sarah as Cosima – will Delphine realise? (Picture: BBC)

Better still, Sarah-as-Cosima is good enough to fool Aldous Leekie but her hair and her imitation of Cosima’s mannerisms aren’t quite right, and at one point she momentarily slips into her own British accent. We immediately know it’s Sarah, even before Delphine realises.

Ultimately the believability of the entire series hangs on Maslany’s ability to convince the viewer that she is each of these multiple clones. Watching her is to observe a master of her craft at work.

More questions

In between the big setpieces, there’s plenty of story and humour too.

Much of the latter comes from Alison. She inherits the lead in her local am-dram production following Aynsley’s death. She secures a gun for Sarah from her pill dealer Ramon in a supermarket car park while asking him how his mother is. And she wards off a potential abduction with pepper spray and a whistle.

But then there’s also Felix and his assless chaps, and his continuing friendship with Alison – without doubt the best relationship in the entire series.

As ever, the show skilfully leaves us with several – but not too many – unanswered questions. The Neolutionists aren’t responsible for Kira and Mrs S’s disappearance – but who is? What business deal is Rachel trying to broker? Whose side is Delphine really on? What are the religiously fanatic Proletheans up to? And, the episode’s big reveal, how is Helena still alive and how angry is she going to be now?

We’ll find out over the next nine episodes. Like Sarah in the pre-credits sequence, Orphan Black is back and hitting the ground running.

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